Our Story

I’ve wanted to move to Alaska my whole life. Long Island, New York was a wonderful place to grow up but soon became an overpopulated bedroom community to New York City. In 1981 I finally convinced my wife, Gloria and our three children to move to Homer, Alaska, a town at the end of the North American Highway system. It is as far away from Long Island as one can get. We researched Homer in the “Milepost” magazine and read about its eclectic mix in John McPhee’s book, “Coming into Country”. How does a 39 year old, suburban guy with a wife who grew up in Brooklyn, NY., their two teenagers and one seven year old find happiness in Homer Alaska, known as “This Cosmic Hamlet by the Sea”? Well, I love nature, I like hunting. I wanted to commercial fish, I wanted land, and I wanted a safe place for my family. My wife and children wanted a place with good schools, offering sports and fine arts activities. In 1981 we were a small fishing community with magnificent scenery all around us, and world class sport

fishing, crabbing, and hunting and the schools offered what we hoped to find. Today Homer still has all this and continues to be “The Halibut Capital of the World”. In addition, Homer now attracts artists, musicians and writers for workshops and performances that are on a par with large cities. As our family grew with the addition of two adopted brothers who arrived to us as infants, we needed more than a mobile home on six acres of land seven miles outside of Homer. By this time I was developing a commercial fishing business and working on the North Slope for ARCO Alaska, which was part of the Prudhoe Bay oil field complex up in the Artic. The money was good and our eyes fell upon this beautiful house located in the town of Homer in a subdivision on the upper side of town. It is just down the street from our world- class hospital and within walking distance to all the stores,

banks, college, museums, super market and “Islands and Ocean” visitor center for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, and a view that brings the mountains, glaciers, Kachemak bay, the famous “Homer Spit,” Cook inlet, and Cape Douglas, into our living room 24/7! Years ago the famous writer and humorist Tom Bodett was our neighbor with whom we purchased the vacant lot between our homes and then subdivided it attaching part of it to our own properties. A smart move! Often, while mowing our lawns we would stop, gaze out at the incredible view and tell each other how lucky we were to live in such a beautiful place!

So come and be a guest in the house we love so much that we’ve bought it twice! (a story I’ll tell you over coffee) Our children are all grown with their own families now. They also love Homer, and except for one, live here with six of our nine grandchildren. Our house needs you to come and visit. I’ve built a smaller place just above Homer on some land where some of our kids and grandkids have built houses. While we will miss the view from this home, we will be able to watch our grandchildren grow into the strong children that Alaska seems to grow in abundance. Please be very sure to know that Gloria and I will definitely “leave the lights on for ya”. Doug and Gloria Stuart